Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Encyclopedia
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network (abbreviated MPBN) is a state network
of public television and radio stations located in the state of Maine
in the United States
. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, which holds the licenses for all the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) stations licensed in the state. MPBN has studios and offices in Portland
, Lewiston
and Bangor
.
MPBN's television network shows a block of standard PBS programming, as as well as many documentaries including nature programs and other science programs. MPBN's radio network airs news and talk programming from NPR, locally-produced news programming, jazz and classical music.
MPBN's television and radio signals reach virtually all of the populated portions of Maine, and adjoining parts of New Hampshire
, Massachusetts
and New Brunswick
. MPBN Television is also carried on cable
in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
, Prince Edward Island
and Newfoundland and Labrador
.
.
On November 13, 1961, WCBB-TV signed on from Lewiston
as the first Educational television
station in Maine. It was a combined venture of Colby College
, Bates College
, and Bowdoin College
. Two years later, WMEB-TV signed on from UMaine's campus in Orono
, near Bangor
. Over the next decade, UMaine signed on three other stations across the state, as well as several translators. These stations formed the original MPBN network. One of these stations was WMEA-TV in Biddeford
, near Portland; however, it was (and still is) practically unviewable over the air in Portland itself and points north. WMEA was the flagship station for the now-defunct Maine Public Television Plus, a secondary PBS service launched in the mid-1990s. UMaine brought public radio to the state in 1970, when WMEH signed on from Bangor. Five other stations signed on over the next decade.
As part of the merger, all of the stations' licenses were transferred to a new community-owned entity, the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation. MPBN's Bangor stations, WMEB-TV and WMEH-FM, became the flagship stations. The television stations adopted the on-air name "Maine Public Television," but dropped this in favor of "Maine PBS" in 1998. The radio stations became known as "Maine Public Radio." In 2006, they reverted to the "MPBN" moniker.
The live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
on Saturday afternoons, which had been a mainstay of classical music broadcasting for more than twenty years, was discontinued. Despite Maine Public Broadcasting's claims that the opera was being dropped due to lack of popularity among listeners, a citizens' protest forced the state network to reinstate the Saturday afternoon opera after a few months.
In May 2005, Maine Public Broadcasting joined a few other PBS stations in showing the controversial "Sugartime!" episode of Postcards from Buster
. The program is about a cartoon rabbit named Buster Baxter, who travels the country with his father and interacts with children from different cultures and in different family structures. PBS headquarters had pulled the episode from its national broadcast schedule after receiving a critical letter from newly-installed Education Secretary
Margaret Spellings
, who was upset that Buster was visiting a Vermont
family headed by two women. WGBH
, the Boston-based PBS affiliate and original producer of the program, subsequently made the episode available to stations that still wished to air it on an individual basis.
Maine humorist Robert Skoglund, a.k.a. The Humble Farmer, host of a weekly jazz and humor program of the same name on MPBN since 1978, aired comments in 2003 pointed at the Republican
administration under President George W. Bush
. Without citing Bush by name, Skogland compared Bush to Adolf Hitler
(and, in a later program, Mussolini
). As a result, he was verbally admonished for violating the station's political neutrality guidelines which Skoglund signed and pledged to observe in 1992. Later, in violation of those 1992 guidelines, Skoglund submitted a pre-recorded program for broadcast on November 3, 2007, in which he read a letter on-air that advocated a "no" vote on a the controversial Taxpayer Bill of Rights referendum question due before Maine voters four days later. MPBN reacted to the latter by not airing the program, claiming that it also violated the station's political neutrality guidelines. Skoglund protested by going silent - limiting his vocal utterances during the program to one or two identifications of songs or musicians. After two weeks of Skoglund's silence, MPBN VP
for Programming, Charles Beck, sent Skoglund a letter telling him that politicizing a program MPBN kept on the air for its jazz and humor content would lead to the show's cancellation if such attempts continued. MPBN then crafted written guidelines for every member of the on-air staff, asking each to indicate with a signature his or her acceptance of MPBN directives with regard to keeping politically charged content out of local entertainment programming and not using the public's airwaves to further their own personal political agendas. Skoglund, who had signed the 1992 guidelines, refused to sign the updated and tightened guidelines. He is quoted on a pro-Skoglund web site as having no recollection of the 1992 guidelines and attributes his removal from the air as being related to "get out the vote" calls he made on behalf of Democrats, which MPBN did not and does not object to.
, which will be hampered during the times it is not on the air, as well as in areas where aerial service has been discontinued.
In part of the response from viewers and listeners in the affected regions, MPBN delayed their closures until February 28, 2009, at earliest. On February 12, 2009, MPBN officially rescinded plans to close down the transmitters, after responses from its viewers and listeners, as well as stakeholders, legislators, and Governor Baldacci
.
Notes:
MPBN also operates 4 translator stations
:
Digital channels>
Channel
Programming
XX.1
Main MPBN programming / PBS
XX.2
SD simulcast of XX.1
XX.3
MPBN World
On October 27, 2010 MPBN added PBS World programming to its .3 subchannel, but had been offering it for several years on Time Warner Cable
, which is available to a large amount of subscribers throughout Maine. Also available on the digital cable tier are Create and a three hour delayed feed of the main MPBN signal in standard definition.
}
}
}
State network
A State Network in the United States broadcasting industry is a term which refers to a miniature television network serving an entire state or multiple states...
of public television and radio stations located in the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, which holds the licenses for all the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) stations licensed in the state. MPBN has studios and offices in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
and Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
.
MPBN's television network shows a block of standard PBS programming, as as well as many documentaries including nature programs and other science programs. MPBN's radio network airs news and talk programming from NPR, locally-produced news programming, jazz and classical music.
MPBN's television and radio signals reach virtually all of the populated portions of Maine, and adjoining parts of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. MPBN Television is also carried on cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
History
What is now MPBN dates from the 1992 merger of WCBB-TV, the PBS member station for most of southern Maine, with the original MPBN radio and television stations operated by the University of MaineUniversity of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
.
On November 13, 1961, WCBB-TV signed on from Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
as the first Educational television
Educational television
Educational television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable television in the United States as Public, educational, and government access ...
station in Maine. It was a combined venture of Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
, Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
, and Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
. Two years later, WMEB-TV signed on from UMaine's campus in Orono
Orono, Maine
Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, near Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
. Over the next decade, UMaine signed on three other stations across the state, as well as several translators. These stations formed the original MPBN network. One of these stations was WMEA-TV in Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, near Portland; however, it was (and still is) practically unviewable over the air in Portland itself and points north. WMEA was the flagship station for the now-defunct Maine Public Television Plus, a secondary PBS service launched in the mid-1990s. UMaine brought public radio to the state in 1970, when WMEH signed on from Bangor. Five other stations signed on over the next decade.
As part of the merger, all of the stations' licenses were transferred to a new community-owned entity, the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation. MPBN's Bangor stations, WMEB-TV and WMEH-FM, became the flagship stations. The television stations adopted the on-air name "Maine Public Television," but dropped this in favor of "Maine PBS" in 1998. The radio stations became known as "Maine Public Radio." In 2006, they reverted to the "MPBN" moniker.
Controversy
In the course of 24 months in 2000 and 2001, longtime classical music hosts Victor Hathaway, Virgil Bissett, Helen York and Dave Bunker left the station. Bissett retired, Bunker moved to southern Maine after his wife gained employment there. Despite Bunker's willingness to continue his popular morning music show from the Portland studios of MPBN, he was let go and Leitha Christie hired in his place. York resigned in protest.The live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City...
on Saturday afternoons, which had been a mainstay of classical music broadcasting for more than twenty years, was discontinued. Despite Maine Public Broadcasting's claims that the opera was being dropped due to lack of popularity among listeners, a citizens' protest forced the state network to reinstate the Saturday afternoon opera after a few months.
In May 2005, Maine Public Broadcasting joined a few other PBS stations in showing the controversial "Sugartime!" episode of Postcards from Buster
Postcards from Buster
Postcards from Buster is a children's television series for children aged 6-12, containing both animation and live-action that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Service . It is a spin-off of the Arthur cartoon series. The show stars Arthur's best friend, 8-year-old rabbit Buster Baxter...
. The program is about a cartoon rabbit named Buster Baxter, who travels the country with his father and interacts with children from different cultures and in different family structures. PBS headquarters had pulled the episode from its national broadcast schedule after receiving a critical letter from newly-installed Education Secretary
United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
Margaret Spellings
Margaret Spellings
Margaret Spellings was the Secretary of Education from 2005-2009 under the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and previously served as White House Domestic Policy Adviser to President George W. Bush....
, who was upset that Buster was visiting a Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
family headed by two women. WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
, the Boston-based PBS affiliate and original producer of the program, subsequently made the episode available to stations that still wished to air it on an individual basis.
Maine humorist Robert Skoglund, a.k.a. The Humble Farmer, host of a weekly jazz and humor program of the same name on MPBN since 1978, aired comments in 2003 pointed at the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
administration under President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Without citing Bush by name, Skogland compared Bush to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(and, in a later program, Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
). As a result, he was verbally admonished for violating the station's political neutrality guidelines which Skoglund signed and pledged to observe in 1992. Later, in violation of those 1992 guidelines, Skoglund submitted a pre-recorded program for broadcast on November 3, 2007, in which he read a letter on-air that advocated a "no" vote on a the controversial Taxpayer Bill of Rights referendum question due before Maine voters four days later. MPBN reacted to the latter by not airing the program, claiming that it also violated the station's political neutrality guidelines. Skoglund protested by going silent - limiting his vocal utterances during the program to one or two identifications of songs or musicians. After two weeks of Skoglund's silence, MPBN VP
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
for Programming, Charles Beck, sent Skoglund a letter telling him that politicizing a program MPBN kept on the air for its jazz and humor content would lead to the show's cancellation if such attempts continued. MPBN then crafted written guidelines for every member of the on-air staff, asking each to indicate with a signature his or her acceptance of MPBN directives with regard to keeping politically charged content out of local entertainment programming and not using the public's airwaves to further their own personal political agendas. Skoglund, who had signed the 1992 guidelines, refused to sign the updated and tightened guidelines. He is quoted on a pro-Skoglund web site as having no recollection of the 1992 guidelines and attributes his removal from the air as being related to "get out the vote" calls he made on behalf of Democrats, which MPBN did not and does not object to.
Transmitter shutdowns
In December 2008, due to the economic crisis and lack of governmental funding, MPBN announced plans on temporarily closing down WMED-TV and -FM in Calais, and WMEF FM in Fort Kent, for at least six months, beginning January 2009. In addition, MPBN's radio and television stations would leave the air for five hours each night, as an energy saving measure. However, many viewers and listeners complained to MPBN for their actions. Another concern is for MPBN's role as the state's primary carrier for the Emergency Alert SystemEmergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
, which will be hampered during the times it is not on the air, as well as in areas where aerial service has been discontinued.
In part of the response from viewers and listeners in the affected regions, MPBN delayed their closures until February 28, 2009, at earliest. On February 12, 2009, MPBN officially rescinded plans to close down the transmitters, after responses from its viewers and listeners, as well as stakeholders, legislators, and Governor Baldacci
John Baldacci
John Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Maine from 2003 until 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003....
.
Television stations
MPBN operates 5 full-power television stations:| Station | City of license City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.... (other cities served) |
Channels Channel (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequencies assigned by a government for the operation of a particular radio station, television station or television channel. In common usage, the term also may be used to refer to the station operating on a particular frequency.-See also:*Broadcast... (Digital Digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals... ) |
First air date | Call letters’ meaning Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... (Digital) |
HAAT Height above average terrain Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts... (Digital) |
Facility ID Facility ID The facility ID number or FIN is a unique positive integer assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission to each domestic and international broadcast station in its Common Database System . Licensees are required to provide the relevant station's FIN when filing reports and... |
Transmitter Coordinates |
| WCBB | Augusta Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota... (Lewiston Lewiston, Maine Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine... , Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... ) |
10 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
November 13, 1961 | Colby Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States... Bates Bates College Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists... Bowdoin Bowdoin College Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is... (original owners) |
29.7 kW Watt The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:... |
304 m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
39659 | 44°9′15"N 70°0′34.7"W |
| WMEB-TV (flagship) | Orono Orono, Maine Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :... (Bangor Bangor, Maine Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine... ) |
9 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
September 23, 1963 | Maine Educational Broadcasting |
15 kW | 375 m | 39648 | 44°42′11.6"N 69°4′45.1"W |
| WMEM-TV | Presque Isle Presque Isle, Maine Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census... |
10 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
February 17, 1964 | Maine Educational M |
14.5 kW | 353 m | 39662 | 46°33′2"N 67°48′32"W |
| WMED-TV | Calais Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada... |
10 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
September 15, 1965 | Maine Educational D |
3.5 kW | 134 m | 39649 | 45°1′44.4"N 67°19′23.8"W |
| WMEA-TV1 | Biddeford Biddeford, Maine Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census... (Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... ) |
45 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
March 15, 1975 | Maine Educational A |
50 kW | 231 m | 39656 | 43°25′0.3"N 70°48′15.2"W |
Notes:
- 1. WMEA-TV used the callsign WMEG-TV from its 1975 sign-on until 1984.
- 2. All main MPBN stations shut down their analog signals on January 11, 2009, over a month ahead of the original February 17 transition date, causing many of MPBN's viewers to lose the signal.
MPBN also operates 4 translator stations
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
:
| Station | Analog Channel | City |
| W04BH | 4 | Allagash Allagash, Maine Allagash is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 277 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 2.8 square miles is water... |
| W04BS | 4 | Bethel Bethel, Maine Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,411 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of West Bethel and South Bethel... |
| W03AM | 3 | Harrison Harrison, Maine Harrison is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,315 at the 2000 census. A historic resort area, Harrison straddles Long Lake and Crystal Lake... |
| W04AY | 4 | St. Francis St. Francis, Maine St. Francis is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the Canadian border at the junction of the St. Francis River and the Saint John River. The population was 577 at the 2000 census... |
Digital Television
MPBN's digital channels are multiplexed:PBS World
PBS World is a 24-hour United States over-the-air digital subchannel showing public TV non-fiction, science, nature, news, public affairs and documentaries...
On October 27, 2010 MPBN added PBS World programming to its .3 subchannel, but had been offering it for several years on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
, which is available to a large amount of subscribers throughout Maine. Also available on the digital cable tier are Create and a three hour delayed feed of the main MPBN signal in standard definition.
Radio stations
MPBN operates 7 radio transmitters:| Station | Frequency | Class | City | Founded | Facility ID |
| WMEA WMEA (FM) WMEA is a radio station licensed to Portland, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
90.1 FM | C | Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... |
April 1974 | 39655 |
| WMEP WMEP (FM) WMEP is a radio station licensed to Camden, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
90.5 FM | B | Camden Camden, Maine Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine... |
February 4, 2002 | 92566 |
| WMEW WMEW WMEW is a radio station licensed to Waterville, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
91.3 FM | A | Waterville Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center.... |
August 30, 1984 | 39645 |
| WMEH WMEH WMEH is a radio station licensed to Bangor, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
90.9 FM | B | Bangor Bangor, Maine Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine... |
1970 | 39650 |
| WMED WMED (FM) WMED-FM is a radio station licensed to Calais, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
89.7 FM | C2 | Calais Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada... |
June 22, 1984 | 39646 |
| WMEM WMEM (FM) WMEM-FM is a radio station licensed to Presque Isle, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
106.1 FM | C | Presque Isle Presque Isle, Maine Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census... |
1978 | 39661 |
| WMEF WMEF WMEF is a radio station licensed to Fort Kent, Maine. The station is owned Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, and is an affiliate of the MPBN Radio network.-External links:*... |
106.5 FM | C3 | Fort Kent Fort Kent, Maine Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,097 in the 2010 census. Fort Kent is home to an Olympic biathlete training center, an annual CAN-AM dogsled race, and the Fort Kent Blockhouse, built in reaction to the Aroostook War and in modern times designated... |
September 15, 1994 | 39653 |
External links
}
}
}